Dear Friends,
If you are receiving this letter on real paper and via the mail, that means we love you 8.9% more than we did last year. How’s that for making lemonade out of inflation?!? Now that we’ve ruined your day (bah humbug!), here’s some updates on members of the Hambrick family.
Lawson is wrapping up his senior year at Leesville Road High School and has been accepted into the professional flight program at Auburn University. You are now obligated to say “War Eagle” whenever you mention his name. He is midway through his private pilot’s license and has already successfully landed a plane on his own. It’s a sweet and odd season of life when your children are doing things well beyond your capabilities (meaning, I’m old… now I’ve ruined my day). Secretly, Sallie is hoping Lawson’s ability to fly means he will make the trip home more frequently when he’s away at college. She is also hoping for tickets to the Tennessee at Auburn football game!
Marshall transferred and is now a sophomore at Voyager Academy Charter School (more on that in a moment). He is now on the tall side of 6’1” (getting close to 6’2” and desperately wanting to pass his brother in height) and 175 lbs (tying his brother in this category as well). Sibling rivalry is fun until you have a gentle bear and ornery rhinoceros wrestling for dominance in your living room. Marshall had a great Summer with the Charlotte Megastars’ (charlottemegastars.com) 2025 national team and is starting to get early college interest. He still leads the family in hair product used and is doing great in school.
Sallie is now a 5th grade science teacher at Voyager Academy; hence, Marshall’s transfer. She had a special guest lecturer when Lawson came to talk about how weather patterns and cloud structures impact flight plans for pilots. As I begin drafting this letter, the University of Tennessee are #1 in the country in football and preparing to face Georgia (but, alas, by the time I revised the letter Rocky Top was no longer atop the standings… now I’ve ruined Sallie’s day too). Regardless, the Volunteers are back! It’s been a long, hard, sad wait for her bright orange soul.
Brad (your Christmas letter writing curmudgeon) continued to do nerd things and wrote Angry with God: An Honest Journey through Suffering and Betrayal. If you know someone wrestling with grief stuck in the anger phase, it makes a great gift. Another life marker was Brad made it through his first year as a fully retired coach. He managed to go a whole 12 months without coming out of retirement. Brad also bought a used rowing machine and used it at least once a month… at least it was used… leave room for growth in 2023!
We hope that regardless of what 2023 brings, you find joy in pursuing the things you are passionate about. Christmas and New Years are a time when we look back, with reflections like this letter, and look ahead. Pray for us as we pray for you that we will be faithful stewards of the opportunities and abilities that God gives in the coming year.
We are grateful for you, your friendship, and the unique role each of you have played in the life of our family. Our prayer is that this Christmas you will experience the power, peace, and joy of Immanuel – God with us (Matthew 1:23) – and multiply that hope by sharing it with others.
Merry Christmas!
The Hambrick Family